


Recollect

by dormiensa



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Friendship, Memories, Post-Hogwarts, Pre-Hogwarts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-02
Updated: 2016-04-02
Packaged: 2018-05-30 20:30:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6439369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dormiensa/pseuds/dormiensa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hermione and Draco are summoned to the Headmistress' Office.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Recollect

They met before the gargoyle. He mock-gallantly gestured for her to do the honours. She sniffed and spoke the password. She was very aware of his soft tread as they ascended the spiral staircase. To their surprise, the door was open.

“Please come in, Miss Granger, Mr Malfoy,” came the crisp voice.

They meekly sat in the chairs before the Headmistress’ desk. Hermione looked about the room and gasped when she found the portrait. As inscrutable as he’d been in life, Snape peered down at them, though she felt that his eyes softened slightly at the sight of his former favourite student. At the corner of her eye, she saw Draco nod to his former Head of House.

“Yes, Mr Potter can be a very persuasive person when he puts his mind to it,” McGonagall said. “And, I must admit, having Headmaster Snape’s input on my running of the school has proved most… entertaining.” 

Portrait Snape sniffed and deigned no reply.

“Oh, come, Minerva, it’s not like you to dither.”

McGonagall harrumphed at Dumbledore’s portrait and then informed, “You’ve been asked here to receive the bequests from Professor Snape’s last will and testament. Given that the stipulations were that you had to both be present and the fact that Mr Malfoy has been… indisposed until recently…” The Headmistress cleared her throat again. She then pushed the two, small wooden boxes atop her desk toward them. 

Hermione’s box contained a single, long and narrow vial filled with a silvery-translucent substance. Draco’s contained two similar vials.

“Professor Snape has suggested that you view all the memories together, although if you feel uncomfortable doing so, you may take turns at the Pensieve. He assures me that the memories are fairly short ones, so I shall return in a half-hour.” McGonagall retreated into her private chambers through an unobtrusive door. 

Hermione got up and shut the study door. She felt the protective enchantments re-knit themselves around the sturdy structure.

Draco and Hermione paused before the Pensieve. Draco frowned at the vial in his hand. Hermione put a gentle hand on his arm. He sighed and emptied one and then the other vial into the shallow stone basin. She followed suit. Then, hand-in-hand, they submerged themselves.

_The water lapped gently against the soft sands. The sun above was bright and warm. A little girl of about eight and with a riot of brown curls was amusing herself building an indistinct structure of wet sand in this remote part of the beach. But even though she didn’t have any sophisticated tools, as she patted and ran her fingers about the lump of material, it began forming a very distinct resemblance to a large cat._

_She was so intent on her project that she didn’t hear the little boy approach. His curiosity had drawn him closer and closer. She let out a yelp as he said, in a lazy manner, “Nice cat.”_

_The next instant, the sand-cat had placed itself between the children and began growling at the boy. He scrambled away and yelled for his godfather._

_A surly-looking man with long, black hair and dressed all in black came running. He quickly assessed the situation and then, with a flick of his hand, disassembled the sand-cat into a pile of sand._

_“Why did you have to go and destroy it?” the little girl said indignantly. “It wouldn’t’ve hurt him! He just startled me, that’s all!” But then her expression changed to one of eagerness. “How did you change it back? Nothing I do seems to work.”_

_The man in black frowned. “At your age, I would’ve been astounded if you_ could _exercise_ any _control at all. Your magic could not have manifested for very long. You should be more aware of your surroundings. It would not do to have Muggles witness your little displays.”_

_The little girl looked more and more confused at his pronouncements, but before she could ask for clarification, a pair of voices called her name sharply—and a tad frantically—and she ran toward the couple who were clearly her parents._

The scene changed. It was the same stretch of beach but obviously a different day.

_The little girl smiled as she saw the little boy approach. He only nodded. She invited him to make use of her pail and shovel. He declined but sat next to her and observed her busy hands. She’d chosen to sculpt a collection of buildings along a narrow street._

_“This is our neighbourhood. This is my house, here.”_

_“They look like small houses. How could you possibly stand to live so close together? We haven’t anyone around for miles. Dad says he needs his privacy. Mum says it’s because our ancestors scared everyone away.”_

_She chuckled. “Mum sometimes says that Dad’s temper is going to drive away the neighbours one day. Although that’s got to be an exaggeration. It’s impossible to hear a sound across solid brick, even with Dad’s loud voice. I know because there was one time Mum and Dad got into an argument and I sneaked into the backyard to see if Mum was right about Dad’s voice carrying through the walls. It didn’t.”_

_The boy grinned. The little girl responded in kind. “You should smile more often,” she told him. “Not that grown-up sneer that I’m guessing you learned from your godfather. People aren’t going to set sand-cats against you if your smile is more friendly.”_

_He huffed and pouted. “Dad says it’s not proper to be too likeable. And now that I’m getting older, I should start acting more dignified.”_

_“That’s silly! We’re children! Anyway, I wanted to ask your godfather yesterday, but I had to go back with Mum and Dad. What did he mean about magic and manifestations and Muggles?”_

_He wore the same confused look that she had the day before. “Precisely as he said: no one our age has any control of our magic. It just reacts to our emotions, especially the strong ones, like fear.”_

_“I wasn’t afraid! I just didn’t hear you sneak up behind me.”_

_“I_ didn’t _‘sneak up’. You were just inattentive.”_

_She huffed. “Anyway, so all those accidents that have been happening lately are because I’m magical? But that doesn’t make sense. All the books say that magic is imaginary. Just fanciful stories.”_

_He snorted. “What sort of nonsense books have you been reading? But I suppose, like my grandfather Black, you must be living among Muggles and therefore need to pretend to be one of them. Your parents should be careful, though. I’ve heard that you could be thrown into Azkaban if the Statute is violated.”_

_“Draco!” a melodic voice called. “It’s time to go! We’re meeting the Parkinsons for lunch, remember? You must change and then charm your godfather into joining us. Severus will likely attempt to Disillusion himself and hide in his room if we catch him too late.”_

_The little girl had been observing Draco’s mum, and as he stood and brushed the sand from his clothes, she said, “Your mum’s very pretty. You don’t look much like her, though. Except the hair, I guess, though yours is lighter.”_

_“I resemble Dad. Too much, as grandfather Black says.” There was a definite note of pride in his voice. “Well, I’ve enjoyed our chat. Shall I see you tomorrow?”_

_She snorted. “Oh no, the dreaded ‘polite company’ voice. I hate it when my parents put it on and make me sit quietly when some stuffy busybody comes to visit. You can only talk with me tomorrow if you promise to leave_ that _voice behind.”_

_He smirked and sauntered off._

Despite the shock of the situation, Hermione couldn’t help but comment, “Already such a snot at age seven. It’s no wonder you were so insufferable by the time you started Hogwarts.”

“I could say the same thing about the swottiness.” Draco tweaked her nose.

She stuck her tongue out. But then she said, in an agitated voice, “Snape must’ve found out I was a Muggle-born and extracted these memories from us. But why would he have kept them and given them back? We’ve managed to set aside our prejudices even without these memories.”

Draco sighed and turned slightly pink. “He caught us together. I don’t know when, exactly. You recall I was a bit… preoccupied in Sixth. But one night, he pulled me aside and warned me to be careful, told me the path I was traversing would only lead to heartache.”

Hermione shook her head. “His experience losing Harry’s mum biased him.” At his perplexity, she gave him a brief summary of the sad history between Severus Snape and Lily Evans Potter. At the end of her short narration, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. “We’ll do better than they did.”

Draco smirked. “Naturally. Malfoys are the best at everything. Ow!”

“Arrogant prat! Now, let’s view the rest of the memories. This one doesn’t look pleasant. Snape looks like he’s about to hex us.”

_The black-haired man wore a bitter expression as he slowly approached the pale-haired boy and his talkative companion. Summoning up what must have been a long-forgotten memory of how to smile, he crouched down and offered them each a drink. The little girl was only part-way through pointing out the features of the new sculpture, a joint project between them, when both children fell asleep on the spot._

_Snape quickly glanced about to ensure there were no witnesses, reduced the sculpture to an innocuous sandpile, and Levitated the children to a more secure and hidden spot among the trees. He looked down at their peaceful, innocent faces and sighed. He steeled himself and then performed Legilimency first on young Hermione, then his godson. He next extracted silvery threads of memories from each and stored them in separate vials._

_Despite the obvious obliviousness of his audience, he couldn’t help explaining to them as he violated their memories. “It’s unfortunate that your parents are Muggles, little girl, and ignorant ones at that! Like Petunia. Psychiatric consults and telekinesis. Utterly ridiculous. I don’t understand how they could leave you unsupervised on the beach. But perhaps your magic has inadvertently forced them to leave you alone. Yes, quite possible. You’ll prove to them when you get your Hogwarts letter. The teachers will show you how to properly develop your skills. But meanwhile, learn some restraint. You won’t always be so lucky with the next accidental bout._

_“And Draco, you may hate me for tampering with your memories, but it is for the best. You don’t want to suffer like your aunt Andromeda. And the Malfoy pride is even less relenting than the Black one. You are his only son and heir, and he will never forgive you. You risk your very life if the Dark Lord should ever discover you’ve had dealings with Muggle-borns. Yes, I’ve observed that most of the foolish wizards in our little community have been convincingly lulled into safety by the incompetent Ministry, but I know enough about the Dark Arts to realize that if the Dark Lord were truly vanquished by Lily’s son…” He paused as a sharp pain marred his expression. “... if the Dark Lord were completely defeated, my Dark Mark would have faded and not continue to periodically give off a numbing sensation. There is always the possibility that he may regain his full strength and return. You must learn to guard your emotions and your thoughts from him. From all of them._

_“This Sleeping Draught is only effective for twenty minutes, after which you’ll both awake in the separate locations I will place you, and you will return to your parents. If they question you about your companion on the beach, you will tell them that the young person has returned home. And you will forget all about each other and the few days you’ve spent together.”_

Draco hugged Hermione tightly to him as they watched Snape carry the unconscious little girl to a spot further down and nearer the edge where the treeline met the beach. Draco’s prone form was likewise placed near the border, so that it would appear he’d gotten sleepy and found some shady area under which to have a nap. 

The scene faded just as both awoke and went their separate ways.

_Snape stepped out of the fireplace and calmly greeted the lady of the manor. Narcissa frowned and waved an impatient hand for him to sit. Having offered him refreshments and some pastries, she came straight to the point in the most un-Slytherin manner._

_“Severus, you must have heard about the… altercation Lucius had with Arthur Weasley in Flourish and Blotts today.” She continued when he nodded. “Then, you’ve probably also heard that Harry Potter was present, as well as his tiresome little Muggle-born friend. Draco has developed a morbid obsession with the girl. I’ve lost count of the number of times he has complained about her. So, imagine my shock when I saw her at the bookstore and realized that she’s the same little girl Draco met on that beach in France several years ago. You recall that vacation we took to Île de Ré. After her family left, he seemed to forget her. At first, I put it down to slight hurt that he’d had to suffer the boredom of amusing himself once again, but the fact that he treats Miss Granger as a pure stranger has had me wondering.” She glared at him. “What did you do to my son, Severus?”_

_Face impassive, Snape replied, “I merely removed his memory of their time together. I thought it a wise course of action. I knew that you would desire to be acquainted with her parents, to discover whether she was a suitable playmate for Draco. Lucius would likely have hexed them in fury to learn they are Muggles. Think of the headache with the Ministry. Oh, I don’t doubt he could have… persuaded them to overlook the matter eventually, but you know the Statute of Secrecy has its own potency that isn’t so easily circumvented by… charm and good breeding.”_

_Narcissa’s glare eventually eased and she shook her head. “You promise no harm resulted in the removal of those memories? Silly me: of course there won’t be harm done under the hands of a skilled Legilimens. I suppose I cannot fault your reasoning. It’s such a pity our society so disapproves those of lesser parentage.” She sighed. “But I suppose Meda’s happiness has made up for all the losses she suffered. I wish… never mind. It’s been a difficult day, and my mind is wandering._

_“Thank you for taking the time, Severus. You’ll watch out for Draco, won’t you? Lucius won’t tell me, but he’s up to something, and I fear it will have unexpected consequences and that Draco will suffer for them.”_

_“I will make sure no harm befalls him. Thank you for your kind hospitality, Narcissa, and for understanding that I had no sinister motives for my actions on the beach.”_

_Just as Snape stepped into the fireplace, he felt a tug at his sleeve. Narcissa hesitated but a moment and then whispered, “He’s all I have, Severus.”_

_Snape nodded and Floo’d away._

The scene faded and a new one slowly came into focus. The idyllic beach reappeared.

“I don’t think I want to see any more,” Draco said quietly.

Hermione nodded and wiped away a tear.

When they were once again in the main room of the Headmistress’ office, Hermione quietly and efficiently refilled the three vials. She then joined Draco as he stood staring up at Snape’s portrait. She expected him to say sharp, bitter words to his godfather and was surprised to hear the quiver in his voice.

“Thank you for restoring these memories to us, godfather. You… were right that my parents would not have reacted well. What fragile creatures love makes us—yet resilient. It’s little wonder the M—the Dark Lord so hated and misunderstood it.”

Snape’s impassivity gave way for a moment, and he opened his mouth several times but could not form words. But the habit of so many years of emotional repression exerted itself, and he said, distantly, “I hope you paid close attention to your lesson today, Mr Malfoy. Only a truly subtle mind can fully comprehend the nuances of something as finicky as that concoction of sentiment. I expect you will do an admirable job minding him, Miss Granger.”

Too astonished, Hermione could only nod. 

Just then, McGonagall emerged from her private quarters.

At the Headmistress’ inquiring glance, Hermione said, “We’ve viewed the most relevant memories, Professor. Thank you for keeping them safe for us.”

McGonagall gave a brief smile. She glanced at Snape and seemed satisfied with his silent communication. She turned back to them and said, “Good luck, Miss Granger, Mr Malfoy. It is a difficult road you’ve chosen to embark upon, but hopefully your example will embolden others to follow in your stead.”

**Author's Note:**

> prompt: Severus Snape


End file.
